


In Vain

by TheMadTinhatter



Category: Corpse Party (Video Game)
Genre: I'm really really sorry, M/M, kind of sad when you think of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-09 00:58:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3230216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMadTinhatter/pseuds/TheMadTinhatter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"- And now, another important thing - she said, taking a notebook out of her bag. She flipped through the pages for a few seconds, then took out a white paper doll that was in the middle."</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Vain

In Vain

  
\- Daisuke-kuun! 

  
The boy, hearing the loud female voice, put the book he was reading on his desk, and adjusted his glasses. His best friend, Mika Miyamoto, had just entered the classroom, and hadn't hesitated in making her presence known. She was in front of him, her hands on his desk. Her expression was of pure happiness.

  
\- Good morning, Mika- _chan –_ Daisuke said, smiling. He knew Mika hated being called with that suffix, but he was kind of allowed to do it as a joke.

  
\- Oh, no, Daisuke-kun! - she said, exaggerating voluntarily her reaction. - To think that yesterday night I had a fantastic idea to make our friendship stronger!

  
\- Oh, and that is? \- asked the boy, chuckling.

  
Mika had always been interested in typically girly stuff. So, every time she read in teen magazines about objects or procedures which goal was to make friendships stronger, Mika always convinced him and Takuya to participate. It usually was typical “group-of-girl-friends” stuff, but she always asked the two of them. Daisuke had almost lost count of how many friendship bracelets or pendants Mika had given them, but he thought it was cute, a way to show affection.

  
\- Well, it's something I found on the internet. It's really simple: you just have to-

\- Good morning – said Takuya, walking past them. - Mika-kun, you really should go to your seat, the professor is about to arrive.

  
Takuya was wearing a surgical mask, that day. He had sent him a message, the night before, telling him that he felt his throat a bit sore. Daisuke had told him to stay at home to not make the situation worse, but of course Takuya hadn't listened.

  
_Stubborn,_ Daisuke thought, shaking his head.

  
However, he couldn't deny that a hoarse voice didn't suit him. In fact, that made him even more attractive than he already was.

  
Daisuke sighed.

  
He knew Takuya since elementary school, and since then they had never been apart. He almost couldn't remember a moment in his life that didn't include him. They had always shared everything: games, fantasies, aspirations....

  
From the time he was about thirteen, Daisuke started being really confused with the world around him. The problem was that almost all the boys he knew seemed to be extremely interested by the opposite sex, and he really didn't feel like that. Sometimes he wondered if his hormones were working right, since girls had exactly zero effect on him.

  
He often talked about this with Takuya, when they were together, and he just told him to let it go, and that maybe he just had to find the right person. Well, he couldn't really understand how he felt. Takuya was always very showy about girls, at least in his presence. He had always been a popular boy, so it wasn't rare to hear him talking about his new conquest.

  
Then, Daisuke started noticing something strange. Daisuke started to _feel._

  
Maybe it was the way Takuya's eyes shined whenever he was excited about something, or maybe it was his smile, but Daisuke had started feeling strange whenever he was next to his best friend, and he couldn't exactly pinpoint what that was.

  
Seeing him with a girl was bothering him. At first he thought it was because, with them being almost inseparable, it was weird seeing him passing so much time with someone else. Of course, that was wrong. He was relieved every time Takuya told him that he had stopped seeing the girl he was with at the moment. Luckily, Takuya's relationships didn't last long, and he himself didn't really seem to care about it.

  
And it wasn't just that. Takuya played the piano since he was a child, but just as a boy, looking at him while he was playing, Daisuke found himself charmed by some details: his hands, moving quickly on the keys, light as if playing was as easy as breathing; the change in his expression, like if he were one with the music... he was fascinated by this, and during those moments, he just couldn't take his eyes off him.

  
Daisuke began to understand what really was going on when, the last summer, him, Takuya and Mika went on holiday at the sea. While they were on the beach, he often found himself looking at Takuya, his gaze lingering on his body in a way that had little to do with a possible desire to look like him. _This is the way I'm supposed to be looking at girls,_ he found himself thinking.

  
Takuya had started invading his dreams, too. He was smiling, his green eyes full of joy and his brown hair blown by the wind, and he was just gorgeous. Daisuke always woke up with his heart beating out of his chest, the same feeling he had when he looked into Takuya's eyes.

  
It was then that Daisuke understood that there was nothing wrong in him. His hormones were definitely working, after all. He just was attracted to his best friend, even though “madly in love” would have probably been a much more appropriate expression for what he was feeling.

  
Daisuke had tried hiding everything. He was quite sure his family wouldn't have accepted that, and it was evident that Takuya wasn't interested in him, at least not in the same way. Sometimes he acted with him in an ambiguous way, but Daisuke strongly suspected it was just a way to attract girls. He had tried telling him that that behaviour made him uncomfortable, but with no result.

  
So, he had decided to suppress those feelings, and to date some girls.

  
_Maybe, acting just like everyone else, I will be able to erase these feelings that in no way will ever make me happy,_ he had thought. The only result was a trail of broken hearts: those of the girls he was going out with, who he tried to break up with with as much tact as possible, since he really couldn't stay with them.

  
Every night, when he was on his bed, about to fall asleep, he had tried with every bit of his power to imagine a girl lying next to him. The second his eyes closed, however, his brain went back to his impossible dream: him and Takuya, their arms around each other on that bed, kissing with so much force that they almost forgot their own names....

  
The only one who knew something was Mika. He had told her about his sexual orientation and that there was someone he liked, but he never had mentioned Takuya. That would have been too embarrassing.

  
Daisuke glanced at Takuya. He looked strange, that day, less cheerful than he usually was. He was always so happy, looking like pure sunshine, and now he was just staring out of the window, completely immersed in whatever he was thinking.

  
_That's because of the mask, probably. Nothing to worry about._

  
Maybe he was exaggerating. After all, he had fallen in love with his smile and his brightness, and he would have done anything in his power to protect those things.

  
_I'm sure whatever Mika-kun has in mind will cheer him up,_ Daisuke thought, putting his hopes in his friend, who at that moment was sitting at the desk in front of his and seemed totally incapable of staying still.

  
_I wonder what she's thinking of doing...._

  
The mystery was unveiled during recess. Right after the moment the bell ringed, the other students left the classroom, leaving the three of them alone. Mika hopped out of her chair, and started searching her bag.

  
\- First of all... Takuya-kun, here's the _Bioshock Infinite_ DVD you lent me! - said the girl, looking excited.

\- You've already finished it? - the boy asked, amazed.

\- Yes! I just couldn't stop playing....

\- You didn't stay up all night to finish it, did you? - Daisuke said.

\- Well... - she said, looking guilty. - I _might_ have done that... but it was so interesting! And with that ending, I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway!

  
Videogames were probably the main reason they got along with Mika. Yes, they were classmates, but during the first year they didn't really speak to each other.

  
Everything had changed the day they caught her in front of a videogame shop, looking with desire at the new PlayStation model. They had talked for a while with her, discovering that she loved first person shooters. 

  
Since then, they had started going to each other's houses to play together at least once a week, and thanks to videogames they had become friends.

  
\- And now, another important thing – she said, taking a notebook out of her bag. She flipped through the pages for a few seconds, then took out a white paper doll that was in the middle.

  
\- What's that? - Takuya asked.

\- We need this to do a charm – Mika said. - Thanks to this, we will be friends forever!

  
Daisuke shook his head. _Another one of her ideas._

  
\- And what is it about? - Takuya said, looking strangely interested.

Mika smiled. - _“Shiawase no Sachiko-san”._ I found it on the internet. There is a legend telling that the spirit of a girl named Sachiko, who died in her school thirty years ago, is still in this world, and has the power to make wishes come true and give blessings to who performs the right ritual. If we did that, she would ensure that our friendship will last forever! Isn't that fantastic?

  
Daisuke knew that it really wasn't right to undermine her enthusiasm. It was cute, as long as something involving a dead child could be considered “cute”, and he would have been a bad friend if he had said something against it.

  
\- So, what should we do? - he asked, instead.

\- We all have to grab this doll – Mika said. - Then, we have to chant _“Sachiko-san, onegaishimasu”_ for as many times as the number of people involved. We're three, so we'll chant three times. At last, we have to pull the doll until it rips apart, and each one of us will have to keep his scrap. Of course we have to perform everything perfectly... we really don't want Sachiko-san to get angry....

  
Daisuke almost burst out laughing. It was obvious that nothing of what their friend was saying was true, as much as it was obvious that they didn't need any charm to make their friendship stronger. And then, in the twenty-first century, who ever still believed in that stupid horror movie stuff?

  
\- All right – he said, grabbing the paper doll. Mika gave him a big smile. Then, Takuya joined them.

  
\- Are you ready? Remember, three times, not one more, not one less! - Mika said, enthusiastic.

  
_What if I chanted four times?_ Daisuke thought. _Just as a joke. Mika will get angry, but then we will laugh about it. Just to make her understand that we don't need this stuff._

  
So, he started chanting the words.

  
_\- Sachiko-san, onegaishimasu. Sachiko-san, onegaishimasu. Sachiko-san, onegaishimasu. Sachiko-san, onegaishimasu...._

  
Takuya coughed, then kept on chanting.

  
\- Oh, no! - Mika screamed, suddenly terrified. - I got distracted, and said the phrase one time more! All because of your cough, Takuya-kun!

  
She looked on the verge of crying. _Oh, please...._

  
Takuya looked quite embarrassed. - I... I coughed almost at the end of the second sentence... and I repeated it. I guess I said it four times, too.

\- Well, that's three of us – Daisuke said.

\- What? - Mika said, outraged.

\- Well, let's rip this paper doll and get it over with this, right? - Takuya said, trying to smile.

  
They followed his advice, and after a few seconds the three of them had a scrap of paper with them.

  
\- If anything bad happens, I'll kill you! - Mika said angrily, while going back to her seat.

  
She stopped being angry at them only when, during lunch, she realized exactly nothing strange had happened.

  
\- Well, there's no need of weird rituals to know that you love me, and then, nothing has happened! - she said, devouring her lunch at the speed of light. They were sitting under “their” tree, in a hidden corner of the school courtyard. During spring they always had lunch there.

  
\- Mika-kun, why so fast? - Daisuke asked.

\- I... well, a student from the drama club asked for the script of the new play, so I have to go and give it to him – she said, standing up. - Later!

  
Mika had left him and Takuya alone.

  
\- Mika-kun and her ideas – Takuya said, twirling the doll scrap around his fingers.

\- Well, at least now we will be friends forever – said Daisuke, laughing.

\- Yeah, _friends._

  
He heard a hint of sarcasm in Takuya's answer. It was so unusual of him....

  
_There really is something wrong._

  
\- Is everything OK, Takuya-kun?

  
The boy coughed.

  
\- Mika-kun told me – he said, in a serious tone. - You like boys.

  
Daisuke leaned on the tree's trunk.

  
\- That's true – he answered. There was no more reason to hide it, now that he knew.

\- Why haven't you told me? We brag so much about friendship, we do stupid charms about it and then you don't tell something so important to your best friend?

  
He didn't look angry. He just looked sad.

  
_I didn't tell you because I love you, Takuya-kun. I love you, and I know you can't return my feelings. Had I told you about it, maybe there would have been no friendship to protect._

  
\- I thought... I thought it would have been embarrassing, Takuya-kun.

\- Embarrassing? - he said, his voice a little louder.

  
_Please, don't get too angry and don't decide to stop being my friend._ It was already horrible not being able to be with him the way he wanted; losing him completely would have been devastating.

  
\- For years I have fought against myself, Daisuke-kun. I've heard my own mother say that those like me are against nature, without knowing what her son was feeling! I was confused, and I would have given everything to know that my best friend understood exactly what I was going through!

  
Daisuke was speechless. _Him... him too? But then, all those girls...._

  
Then, he understood. There was a reason why Takuya's relationships didn't last long. The same exact reason why _his_ relationships had had an almost immediate ending. They both had tried to suffocate their nature, but without any result.

  
\- Well, you didn't tell me, either. It's your fault, too – he answered.

\- I... I had a reason not to tell you about it. To be honest, I told Mika-kun only yesterday, and she just casually mentioned your secret. She was convinced that you had told me, too – Takuya said.

  
He was quite calm. _Maybe we won't fight, after all._

  
_-_ I thought about this all night, also thanks to my cough. I can't deny that I felt disappointed, when Mika-kun told me. Any happiness I might have felt in knowing just didn't erase the disappointing in realizing that the information hadn't come from you. Then, I remembered something.

  
For some reason, Takuya took his mask off.

  
\- Every time that, somehow, I touch you, you become as red as a tomato. I thought that it was just because you didn't want to give the wrong image to the girls, but with this new information....

  
Smiling, Takuya sat astride him.

  
_W-what...? Don't tell me...._

  
In a moment, Daisuke felt particularly stupid. And completely incapable of moving.

  
\- … maybe – Takuya said, his voice getting lower and lower – Maybe the reason why you never told me is the same as the reason why I never told you?

  
Daisuke would have given him an answer, but Takuya was just too near for his brain to function properly, and anyway he didn't give him the time.

  
The second before he was talking, the second later he was kissing him.

  
Takuya's lips were soft and inviting, just as he had always imagined. His kiss was long and full, and Daisuke could feel how much Takuya, too, had waited for that moment, how much he had desired him.

  
\- _Daisuki,_ Daisuke-kun – he whispered, almost on his lips. He was smiling, amused, like all he was waiting for was the right moment to make that pun.

  
Daisuke would have answered him, but all his brain was suggesting to do was keeping on kissing Takuya. So, he wrapped his arms around the boy's neck, holding him closer, and their lips met again. His fingers were intertwined with Takuya's hair: they were so soft... he felt Takuya's body moving against his in a way that was making him crazy, and cursed the fact that they were at school and not in a more private space.

  
He had wanted so much for that moment to happen, and now it was real. He was almost breathless, but all those kisses were just not enough. He could have stayed there for hours, kissing Takuya....

  
\- Hey! I can't leave you alone for a second, and you're already snogging?

  
Takuya, a bit disappointed, interrupted the kiss. - Mika-kun is back....

  
The girl looked at them, amused. - Well, judging by how busy you were, maybe I should have come back at the end of the lunch break....

  
Daisuke looked at Takuya. His cheeks were red, and he was smiling like that had been the best day of his life. Well, not that the same couldn't have been said for him....

  
\- It's also thanks to you, Mika-kun – Daisuke said, smiling at her. Maybe he should have been offended because, involuntarily, she had told Takuya everything, but if that had been the outcome....

  
Their friend looked radiant. - Oh, really? I'm so happy for you! - she exclaimed, then fell on her knees to hug them.

  
\- We have to document this moment – she said, pulling out her cellphone and keeping it in front of them to take a picture. The three of them were smiling wide: him and Takuya because, well, they had just _found_ themselves; Mika because, as they had already learned, nothing would have made her happier than seeing a friend happy.

  
The girl sent them the picture, of course. - I want to see this as your screen background, right? - she said.

  
Daisuke immediately followed her advice. It was a beautiful picture.

  
Mika walked quickly towards the school, probably to leave them some more time alone.

  
\- Takuya-kun... are you free this evening? We could... you know, go on a date – Daisuke asked.

\- I'm sorry, tonight I can't... karaoke night with the music club, even though I'm not really sure I'll sing, with this throat. There's your little sister, too, you know?

\- Oh, right, I forgot!

  
_Clumsy._ His sister, for some reason, had been stressing everyone out with that karaoke night, and he had just forgotten.

  
\- But tomorrow morning, always if you want, I'll be all yours! - Takuya said, giving him a small kiss on the lips, then he ran back to the school.

  
*

  
\- _Tadaima!_ \- he said, closing his house's door. His sister should have already got home, since she didn't have lessons in the afternoon, that day. After some moments, he saw her running down the stairs.

\-  _Okaeri, onii-chan! -_ she said, smiling.

  
She looked a bit nervous, probably because of the karaoke night. _Probably there's going to be some guy she likes._

  
His sister followed him to his room. While he was putting his coat back in the wardrobe, she was leaning on the door's frame.

  
_-_ What's the matter, Kaori-chan? - he asked her.

\- You seem to be really happy, today – she said.

\- Oh – said Daisuke. _Is it that noticeable?_

  
Kaori sat on his bed. - Let me guess... it's because of a girl! - she said, happily.

\- N-no....

  
Well, it was still a matter of romance, but definitely not with a girl.

  
He really would have wanted to be honest with his sister, but he wasn't sure how she would have reacted. She had never struck him as close-minded, but at the same time he wasn't sure of the contrary. He really loved her and they were quite close; it would have been awful to ruin everything.

  
\- Miyamoto-san looked really happy today, too... - Kaori went on, mocking him. - I wonder if you two....

\- Absolutely not, Kaori-chan! We're just friends!

  
Kaori chuckled.

  
_I have to tell her something, or she won't stop._

  
\- All right, all right. Mika-kun made us do a ritual to make our friendship eternal, and we were happy because of that!

\- Oh... what ritual? - the girl asked, curious.

\- Sachiko-san-something... anyway, we all failed to perform it correctly, and nothing happened. It's not smart, believing in this stuff, and if people really are friends, there's no point in doing that.

  
Kaori laughed, her eyes suddenly shining, then she got up. - You're right, onii-chan! Even though I think it was cute of her. You're so lucky to have such a dedicated friend....

  
She stopped again on the door's frame.

  
\- Now I have to finish getting ready. Tonight there will be Arai-senpai, too... - she said, with a dreamy look.

  
_Oh God. Apparently being attracted by Takuya-kun is a family thing...._

  
\- I know, he's your best friend... but he's so handsome! You wouldn't mind if we dated, would you?

Daisuke laughed. - If that's what makes you happy....

\- Yes! - she said. \- Oh, and don't stay up waiting for me, tonight! - she said, then went out of the room.

  
Daisuke sighed.

  
_I'm gay, Kaori-chan. Takuya-kun is, too. We kissed, this morning, and tomorrow we're going on a date together. That's why I'm so happy. Because I'm in love with him._

  
It made no sense, to keep her from knowing. She was his little sister, and she deserved to know all about his happiness; then, her crush on Takuya would have eventually come to an end, and she wouldn't have hurt herself.

_  
Yeah, I'll talk to her tomorrow morning. She's my little sister, she won't react badly._

  
He heard her leaving the house shortly after, and then he was alone. His parents would have come back really late at night, so he had dinner all alone.

  
He wasn't used to silence. Usually there was his sister with him, but she had started going out at night, during the weekends. Sometimes he did that too, but he had less close friends than Kaori, and he was more prone to staying home.

  
That night, lying on his bed, Daisuke thought about what had happened that morning.

  
He still couldn't believe it. Him and Takuya had kissed. They were in love. Maybe he was too enthusiastic, but he felt that that day, maybe, would have been the start of a new chapter of their life, a chapter he imagined full of happiness.

  
He closed his eyes, smiling, and thought of Takuya. He thought about his lips, his hands, the heat of his body....

  
Everything had been real. No need to use his imagination anymore.

  
_Maybe the day we will wake up in each other's arms isn't that far...._

  
*

  
The next morning, Daisuke woke up at the sound of his phone's ringtone. Still heavy from sleeping, he reached for his phone on the nightstand. He squinted, his eyes hit by the intense light of the screen.

  
_A message from Mika-kun. What does she want at eight o'clock on a Saturday morning?_

  
_"Ohayoo~",_ he read on the screen.

  
Daisuke put his phone on the bed. Before answering he wanted at least to wake up completely.

  
He massaged his temples. He hadn't slept well, that night. He had had a nightmare he perceived as being horrifying, but he didn't remember much about it: there was just water all around him, and he could hear muffled screams....

  
He couldn't remember what the situation was, or to whom those screams belonged, and the more he thought about it, the more the details were flowing away from his mind.

  
He got up, and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Then he wrote to Mika.

  
“ _Ohayoo, Mika-kun! Why are you already up?”_

  
He looked at the picture he had put as background right the day before. Mika had taken it during lunch break. He had immediately liked it: he was really smiling, which was unusual for him. He tended to look serious even when he really was happy, but that picture seemed to be an exception.

  
He went down to the kitchen, and started making breakfast. Eggs and bacon, an English breakfast. A cup of tea to drink.

  
He loved Saturday morning, when he was the last to get up and so had free access to the kitchen. Also, the house was silent, since his parents left early for work. Not only he was used to silence and solitude, but he appreciated them so much that he looked for them even during the day. At school he wasn't exactly the most social person.

  
After putting his breakfast on a plate, he looked again at his phone. Mika had sent him two messages.

  
“ _They dragged me out of bed. My little brothers absolutely wanted to go to the playground with their onee-chan!_ (⌒▽⌒)☆ _“_ said the first text.

  
Mika had always been enthusiastic about her brothers, but Daisuke was very happy to not be in a similar situation. A brother or a sister would have definitely disturbed the quiet he loved so much.

  
He read the second text.

  
“ _I've just seen a guy running, here at the park... he was so cute!_ （*＾3＾）/～☆ _Had you been here, I would have told you to chat him up_ (^_−)☆ _“_

  
_Oh, Mika-kun...._

  
Since he told her he was gay, she always tried to find guys to introduce him to and, as in that moment, she sent him messages every time she saw someone particularly cute.

  
He often was just too shy to approach them, and anyway he still hadn't found anyone who could make his heart beat fast, or who could sneak in his dreams. A part of him wanted to change the situation, while his more rational side, which was prevailing at the moment, seemed to be completely impervious to silly sweet stuff like that.

  
“ _With my luck, he probably would have been completely heterosexual!”_ he answered.

  
He sipped his coffee, keeping on appreciating all the calm that was completely surrounding him. He smiled.

  
_I'm an only child, and totally single. What do I want more from life?_

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this fanfic came to me a while ago, thinking about the fact that who dies in Heavenly Host is forgotten by the rest of the world, so there might have been someone who went on with their lives completely oblivious to what happened to who once was their friend or relative.
> 
> Basically, Daisuke, Takuya and Mika, without knowing, do the charm the right way. Daisuke then mentions the charm to his sister, who looks for it on the internet and finds Naho's blog, and she suggests her friends at the karaoke place to do it. This time, however, everyone does it following Naho's directions correctly, so they end up in Heavenly Host, where they die. Takuya and Kaori's nametags can be found in the school while playing. I'm sorry I had to make them die =(


End file.
